Emirates not to cancel Airbus A380 orders, may buy more
27 Apr 2007
"We have faith in Airbus," Sheikh Ahmed told reporters after the company released its 2006 results. With over 40 on order, Emirates has the distinction of being the biggest customer for the aircraft to date.
Deliveries of the super-jumbo A380, the world's largest passenger jet, have been delayed by an average of two years due to technical problems. These, in turn have hit profit forecasts of Airbus owner European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co and also sparked of a huge restructuring programme at Airbus leading to labour unrest.
Sheikh Ahmed also said that Emirates was close to arriving at a compensation deal with Airbus over delays to the A380. One of the world's premiere airlines, Emirates, is expected to take delivery of its first A380 in August 2008.
Dubai-based Emirates is the largest airline in the Middle East by revenues and number of passengers carried. The airline's revenues rose 29.5% to AED29.8 billion, or $8.1 billion, in the 12 months to March 31, 2007.